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Rhinoclemmys punctularia

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Rhinoclemmys_punctularia_A_Lima

Rhinoclemmys_punctularia_A_Lima

Family: GEOEMYDIDAE

Scientific Name: Rhinoclemmys punctularia

Common Name: perema.

Spanish: morrocoy negro.
English: Spot-legged Wood Turtle. Painted Wood Turtle. Spotted-legged terrapin.

Length: Up to 26cm.
 

Appearance: the carapace is dark brown to black. The limbs are orange yellow with scattered black spots. The male is slightly smaller than the female and has a longer, slightly concave plastron and a thicker tail. Mid-dorsal keel. A red, yellow or green head pattern constisting of two longitudinal stripes or a horseshoe shape. Strongly webbed feet.

Behaviour: Primarily active at night but have been known to bask in the sun and be active during the day. 
 
Habitat: a semi-aquatic species. It lives most of the time in swamps, streams and coastal marshes. In Brazil it lives along the coast of Pará and in open areas along the Amazon River up to the lower reaches of the Tapajós. Avoids high salinity and strong currents.
 
Diet: they are omnivores and they feed on both land and water.
 
Reproduction: they deposit on average two very large brittle-shelled, elongate eggs. Multiple clutches in a season. The incubation period may take up to three months. Sex is determined by temperature. The egges are covered with leaf litter or concealed within vegation and roots.
 
Exploitation: this species is consumed only locally, but there is evidence that it is widely consumed or used as a pet and sold on the black market.
 
Conservation: was classified in 2012 as less concern in the new Scientific Assessment of the Risk of Extinction of the Brazilian Fauna. To date, there has been no need to create any conservation program for this species.